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The United States has identified its first confirmed case of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the state of California, health authorities revealed on Wednesday.
The individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on November 22, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a press release.
The person, who had been fully vaccinated but without a booster shot, had mild symptoms and was in self-quarantine, Anthony Fauci, top U.S. infectious disease official, briefed reporters at the White House.
"We feel good that this patient not only had mild symptoms, but actually the symptoms appear to be improving," he said.
COVID-19 testing results of the patient's close contacts were all negative, Fauci added.
The expert said authorities "knew it was just a matter of time" before the variant was found in the country, and reminded Americans that vaccination, boosters and masking in indoor public settings remained the best way to stay protected.
The U.S. is planning tougher testing and weighing quarantine requirements for international travelers arriving in the country, including taking a COVID-19 test one day prior to departure, the CDC said Wednesday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on the same day that
23
countries and regions have detected the Omicron variant.
"WHO takes this development extremely serious," said the agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He added that this should not be surprising because that's the nature of the virus.
Maria van Kerkhove, WHO's technical lead on COVID-19, said more information on the transmissibility of the new variant is expected "within days."
She said one possible scenario was that the variant, first reported in southern Africa, may be more transmissible than the dominant Delta variant, but whether it could cause more severe symptoms remains unknown.
Soumya Swaminathan, chief scientist of the WHO, said the agency believes existing COVID-19 vaccines will work against the variant.
Sources:CGTN
